China, US to set up military hotline

Xinhua Shanghai, Feb 29 (Xinhua) China and the US signed here Friday an agreement on setting up a military hotline between the two countries, the Chinese defence ministry has said. The agreement was signed at the conclusion of a working meeting between the officials of the two defence departments, which began Thursday.

The ministry said the two sides also signed an agreement on launching military archives to trace the missing US military personnel in the Korean War. However, it did not disclose the details of the agreements.

The hotline is aimed at providing instant contact between the Chinese and the US defence and military leaders on major issues, especially in emergencies, the officials said.

Since Chinese President Hu Jintao and his US counterpart George W. Bush agreed to advance bilateral military relations during their meeting in April 2006, discussions have been going on for setting up a military hotline.

The two sides reached consensus to set up the hotline during the US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates’ visit to China in November 2007. Xinhua